Glory of Love: A Jiraiya Love Story
by HiddenXEmotion
Summary: The Etsu Twins argue alot, but they're one brutal pair of Shinobis. Trained since they could walk, the twins end up becoming mixed with the Sannin group on the history of the Leaf Village, and even further. Chiyo Etsu is a strong woman that can take care of herself when the time is in need, but everyone needs a crutch. Her's just comes as a pervert with a thing for frogs.
1. Chapter 1

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!**

**I know it took a little while, guys, but the Naruto guys are finally back!**

_**Chapter One**_

_**The Two Squads**_

"**Why am I assigned to a Squad with you? **Don't I deal with you enough already?"

"Oh, just be quiet, Chiyo. You're starting to be annoying."

"That's funny, coming from you."

"For siblings, the two of you don't really get along."

Chiyo and Akito Etsu both turned their heads to look at the third member of their new squad; Hiruko.

At their age of 12, Hiruko was dressed in all white, matching his long white hair he pulled into a ponytail, and dark red eyes.

Chiyo was the oldest of the Etsu twins with long red hair that she held in a braid over her left shoulder and fiery gray eyes. She was dressed in white and red with the pendant of a flower around her neck.

Akito may have been the younger but he was taller and that annoyed his sister more than anything else. He left his red hair short but his eyes were as fiery as hers as he dressed in green and black.

The twins were currently standing in the middle of the training grounds of the Leaf Village, their foreheads pressed against eachother as they argued. You would think that twins would get along, but not these two. They despised eachother with a passion. Both of them pulled back and pointed at eachother.

"That…_thing _is not related to me!" Then, realizing what was said, their foreheads hit eachother again. "What did you call me!?"

Hiruko watched as their arguing continued and just gave a sigh. This was going to be hard.

They had just been assigned to a Squad together and were told to wait here on the training grounds for their Sensei for introductions and information on what they were to begin training on. They had just arrived and already they were beginning to be annoying. But he smiled. It was entertaining.

"Chiyo? Akito?" A new voice greeted them. "What are you doing here?"

The twins pulled away from the other and glanced to the right. They both mimicked each other's groan. "Oh great."

Three other kids stood before them, one girl and two boys; a trio that Chiyo knew very well, Unfortunantly.

The girl had long blonde hair that she tied in a high ponytail, leaving the bangs to frame her face and brown eyes. Wearing a mesh shirt with a blue lining, she wore light green and violet top and black pants.

Beside her, the boy had extremely pale skin with long black hair and amber eyes; some kind of purple markings were there. He was dressed in long white robes with purple lining embroidered with black and yellow markings, tied with a purple ribbon, forming a bow in the front. With white leggings and the black shoes, he wore a mesh top with purple lining.Added by Magatama90

The second boy had spiky white hair and dark eyes with two, red strips coming down from his eyes to the top of his cheeks. He wore pale grey robes with a design of red flames on the edges with a green ribbon showing a curled gold design tied in a loose bow around his waist. Underneath he wore the standard black mesh shirt with red lining and black pants and sandals.

"Are you meeting your Sensei here as well?" The girl asked.

"Yes," Chiyo answered her shortly. "Why else would we be here?"

"Don't be rude!" Akito growled at his sister.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

"Do you two always have to fight?" The first boy asked with a frown.

"Shut up, snake-boy!" Chiyo hissed at him.

"You might wanna back off, Orochimaru," The other boy began but he was ignored.

"That's a lot of spunk coming from a girl who likes to play with spiders."

Chiyo's eyes went livid. "You only like playing with snakes so much because it reminds you of something your parents cut off when you were born because they wanted a girl!"

Everyone's mouth dropped open; even Akito looked at his sister in disbelief. And then, breaking the uneasy silence, laughter broke out. Chiyo glanced over at Hiruko as the child was bombarded with laughter; she could just see him rolling around on the ground as he laughed. She smiled and began to laugh a little herself with the second boy joining in. Akito shrugged his shoulders and let a grin escape his lips as Chiyo and the three boys eased down. Orochimaru and the other girl didn't seem to find any of it funny, though.

"Stop laughing, Jiraiya!" The blonde growled.

"Oh, come on, Tsunade! It wasn't that much of an insult!" The white-haired boy laughed. "Grow up!"

"This isn't funny, Jiraiya!" Tsunade growled. "Would you like it if they did that to you?"

"Maybe." The white-haired teen smiled.

Chiyo's attitude lessened as she folded her arms behind her head. Hiruko's laughter had finally faltered and Akito still wore a grin on his face as Orochimaru continued to glare at the other girl.

"Already causing trouble, are you, Chiyo?"

She turned to the man now behind them with a smile. "Sorry, Hiruzen."

It was a middle-aged man that stood behind them with light skin with dark brown hair and goatee with a small line running out of the side of his eyes. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit and few others gauntlets and things.

"Are you our Sensei?" Hiruko asked. The Hokage was their teacher? How had that happened?!

"Me?" Hiruzen gave a smile as he scratched the back of his head. "No, I'm just here with you as a substitute for now."

"Where's our teacher?" Akito asked, crossing his arms.

"Ariana is currently on a mission right now so I will be training you with Jiraiya and the others until she returns." The man answered them.

"Are you serious?!"

Jiraiya and Hiruko seemed to be the only two not worried about that.

"Why do we have to be stuck with that!?" Tsunade growled, jabbing a finger at the other trio.

"It's not like we want to be around with you either, toots." Akito snorted.

"Come on!" Chiyo cried at the Hokage. "You've already stuck me with my brother, why make me suffer even more with these other morons?"

"I understand that you all don't like eachother, but you can get along for a few days, right?" They all sighed at the Hokage's words. "Good. Now, Chiyo," the man gave a smile, knowing how to cheer the child up a bit. "I would like for the two of you to start to show Hiruko here how to maintain Chakra Control."

"Not a problem." The girl grinned instantly. "Easy as pie." Orochimaru snorted and she glared at him. "Shut up! I guarantee that I'm already more toned to it that you are!"

"And what makes you think you say that?" Tsunade growled. "All that you have bigger than us is a mouth.

"Actually," Hiruzen began with a smile. On the inside it was nervous. This would be a problem if "Of the entire class, Chiyo and Akito have most control over their Chakra, thanks to their parents teaching them in an early age. The two of them already have the ability and strength to summon. Prodigies, one might say."

The four of them all looked surprised and stared in wonder as the twins flushed, keeping their gazes from the others.

"You lucky little punk," Jiraiya teased Hiruko. "Wanna switch teams?" Tsunade smacked him in the back of the head as Orochimaru just closed his eyes.

Hiruko gave a smile. "No thanks."

"Don't worry, little guy," Akito placed an arm on his shoulder. "I'll keep my sister from working you too close to death."

"Can it!" The said girl growled but there was a faint smile on her lips still.

Hiruko stared at his squad members in shock for a moment. He had never seen a set of twins act this way with eachother before. What had happened to make them act this way so much?

Hiruzen had taken Jiraiya and the other two off on their own, leaving Chiyo in lead of this group. "All right, first up is the intro. I'm Chiyo Etsu, age 12, and it is my dream to write novels as I travel the lands."

"I'm Akito Etsu, 12, and it is my dream to stop listening to my sister about her stupid books any longer." Her brother replied.

"Shut up, you jerk!"

Hiruko gave a nervous chuckle. "My name is Hiruko, 12, and I…I don't really have a dream, really."

"Don't have a dream?" Akito leaned forward to get a better look at the boy. "How can you not have one?"

"I just…don't." Hiruko flushed, glancing to the side and away from the twins.

"You've got to have some kind of dream. To have kids. To be a Jonin. Something." Chiyo told him, taking a see on a tree stump.

"Well," He caught himself before he could speak. "That's…a secret."

The girl laughed. "That's understandable. No need to pull apart bars and pry into that."

"I don't know," Akito gave a grin.

The boy in white got a nervous feeling after that and decided to change the subject.

"What can the two of you guys summon?" Hiruko asked.

A grin spread across the girl's face. "Why ask when we can show you?"

Akito pulled a frown, a worried settling over his face. "Uh, Chiyo, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Pish-posh," Chiyo waved a hand, stepping closer to the middle of the clearing as she cracked her knuckles. We were taught to summon them. If they have a problem with it then it's their fault."

Hiruko watched as Akito mumbled a few words under his breath as he stood up and moved to the other side of the clearing to do his own Jutsu. His eyes traveled between the two of them, eager to see what would happen. Both of them were still for a moment, as if waiting for a second, before blood was produced and their hands began to move.

He had never heard of a set of children being able to summon before, the strength being left to the older ninja of the village and those outside of just being titled a Genin. Were the Etsu twins…that good? If so, what had their parents put them through at such a young age?

The smoke faded down but Hiruko found only three forms before him. Chiyo had turned to face her brother, a grin on her face but there was nothing there around her. Akito had turned as well, but was hanging his head a bit as a large form came into view as the smoke disappeared. Hiruko almost let his mouth fall open. The Hawk, its feathers a glistening brown and tan, stood behind the young 12-year-old, its bright blue eyes staring down at the child he towered over.

"What have I told you about summoning me?" The bird glared at Akito.

The boy sighed, hanging his head a little further. "Yeah, I know, but I-"

"Only when there are beautiful women around! How many times do I have to-" His voice cut off as his eyes landed on Chiyo. Instantly, the large bird skittered over to her. Hiruko had to hold his laughter in at the sight of a 30-or-so- foot bird walk towards a 12-year-old and bend down to peer at her. "My, my, Chiyo! You're looking more and more like your gorgeous mother every day." He paused for a moment, glancing her over again. "Tell me, how old are you now?"

"Still only 12, Osakai." Chiyo flushed as a chuckle passed through her lips.

"Pity." The Hawk sighed. "Age faster for me, will you?"

"Haven't I told you to watch yourself before, Osakai?" A cool, female voice hissed. Hiruko's eyes widened as a huge spider crawled out of the trees behind Chiyo. It was a black widow. A shiver passed down the child's back.

"Ahh, Kurina." Osakai lifted his head to glare at the Arachnid. "Still alive, are you?"

"And I will be…until I get rid of you. Then I can die in peace." The spider hissed.

"Hah! You know that Hawks can't be caught by spiders! We're too smart!" The hawk grinned.

"Other hawks, yes, but this has yet to be seen in your case." The spider narrowed her eyes.

Hiruko got a sudden idea as to why Chiyo and Akito fought all the time. How could you, when two things the size of that fought with eachother in front of you? And did their parents do the same exact thing.

"This is Osakai," Akito introduced to Hiruko. He and his sister hand walked over the other ninja as the two summons continued to argue with themselves. "Our mother trained me to summon him."

"And I received Kurina from our father." Chiyo continued. "There are several, several others but these are the two, I guess you could say, 'leaders'."

"I, uh, I can see why." Hiruko stared at the two of them for a bit longer before turning back to the other humans. "And you've been doing this for how long?"

"What, three years now?" Akito asked, folding his arms behind his back. "Ma and Pa didn't waste any time in teaching us tricks. We've been doing it since we could walk."

Hiruko hung his head. "All I'm going to do is weigh you down," He shook his head. "I can't do anything like this."

"Don't feel bad," Chiyo sat beside him and gave him a small nudge. "We couldn't do anything either when we first started. We wouldn't have been this far if our parents hadn't been complete psychos. Don't worry, we'll get you up to speed, with or without a teacher."

Hiruko opened his mouth to reply but then glanced away. Should he tell them? What would their reactions be?

"Don't worry, Hiruko." Akito gave the other boy of the Squad a thumbs-up. "Stick with the two of us. We'll make the Hokage wish that he was out Sensei!"

**And so it begins. Can't wait to get to the really good parts!**

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!**

**This Chapter is written for Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage. It's a bit early, being the 15, but his Birthday is February 19 so here we go! Just for you, Tobirama!**

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Friends**_

**The sunlight seeping in through the blinds on her window pulled Chiyo from her sleep. **She didn't want to get up, this being thief first day off of training in nearly a month, but she knew that she had to. She had plans and her friend wouldn't be pleased in her bailing out on them. But who didn't like a nice, peaceful walk through the village?

Pulling her long raid hair into a bun instead of a braid today, her gray eyes held more of a kind, friendly feel this morning. Not very normal on her behalf but then again, when was she normal? Pulling on a pair of blue shorts and a white tank top, she placed her flower around her neck and turned to leave the Etsu home.

Passing down the hall, she paused at the sight of her brother's door. It was still half open, revealing a dark room. Her brother liked to sleep in late, very late, so he had tied a sheet across his window, keeping the sun out of it. He had been out late last night with a group of his own friends, hanging around the town as the festival of fireworks went off. She hadn't gone, deciding to stay in and work on her novel some more. It was close to being finished. So close she could almost taste it.

Closing Akito's door, she moved further down the hall and out the front door. She had a small pit-stop to take before continuing on to meet her friend. She walked through the village, greeting and talking to the others that she ran into in the streets. She wanted to eat something but she was going to wait until later. Instead she went to the flower shop.

The Yamanaka Flowers was owned and ran by the Yamanaka clan. It sold flowers of all sorts and variety. As the bell rang with the door opening, the middle-aged woman behind the counter gave a smile.

"Back again, Chiyo?"

"Every other week, Mrs. Yamanaka." Chiyo gave a smile as she heard the laughter of a baby. Peeking around the corner of the counter, she peered into the cradle. "And good morning to you too, Inoichi!" (You guys know who that is, don't you?) She reached into her pocket and pulled out a little stuffed animal. "Didn't think that I would forget about you, did you?"

Mrs. Yamanaka smiled, watching as the young girl played with her son. Chiyo was such a sweet girl, though she tried to hide it to seem strong. After all that had happened, Mrs. Yamanaka found herself praying for someone that would be able to tell this young girl that you didn't have to hide your kindness to be seen as strong.

The Yamanaka Clan was a family that specialized in mind-related techniques which made them experts at intelligence gathering and espionage. They have also displayed sensory abilities and their techniques include things like transferring consciousness, reading minds, and communicating telepathically. The symbol of the clan was the bush clover flower, symbolizing 'positive love'. Whenever Chiyo found herself in need of a mother's love, she always came to Mrs. Yamanaka. It wasn't the same, but it was what she needed.

Chiyo smiled down at the child for a few more moments. Inoichi was only a few months old but you could already see the designs of his features. He would, no doubt, take on the blond hair of the Yamanaka Clan, as well as those blue-green eyes. He would no doubt look like his father as he got older, and be a strong leader for the Clan.

"The same as always, Chiyo?"

The young girl turned from the child, a smile on her face still. "Yes, please, Mrs. Yamanaka." The elder woman turned to gather the yellow and blue flowers that the girl always bought, watching from the corner of her eye was Chiyo gave her son a kiss in his forehead. "I can't wait until you're older, Inoichi. I'm going to make sure that you're one of the best ninja out there!

The elder woman paused in her movements, closing her eyes with a large smile, before turning back to the child. "Here, sweetie," Chiyo reached into her pants for her money but the woman shook her head. "Don't worry about it today, Chiyo. They're on the house."

The child looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You go and do your thing."

Chiyo gave the elder woman a large smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Yamanaka."

Mrs. Yamanaka watched the child leave her shop and gave a sigh, followed by a small smile. "First things first, Chiyo. You need to make sure to become a great ninja yourself before you can teach another, and something tells me that you just might do it."

_**~We are the lucky ones **_

_**We shine like a thousand suns**_

_**When all of the color runs together~**_

**Chiyo paused in front of the large stone. **She tightened her grip on the flowers in her hand, holding back the tears that would always come. She stood in front of the Memorial Stone. The monument in Konohagakure that lists all of the ninja that were killed in action. It was located near the Third Training Ground where the two Squads were currently training. The stone was also the final resting place for those whose bodies had not been retrieved for burial in the cemetery.

Both of her parents were on here.

Hiroki and Kazumi Etsu had both passed on during the events of the First Shinobi World War about three years ago. Hiroki and Kazumi were members of the Second Hokage's Squad. Tobirama had always been Chiyo's favorite of the two Senju brothers, and was envious of him being Tsunade's uncle.

Her parents had come across Tobirama and the others, wounded from the surprise attack of the Kinkaku force that took down the other member of their Squad. Tobirama had realized that the only way any of them could escape alive was for one of them to be a decoy and sacrifice themselves. The Hokage had chosen himself and elected his student, Hiruzen, to be the third Hokage. Knowing that they would just slow down the others and risk their safety, Hiroki and Kazumi stayed behind with the Hokage so their leader would not be alone in the final moments of life. All three died a noble death.

~Line 13~ She told herself as she knelt to her knees before the stone, trailing her finger across the names. ~Fourth over~ Her finger paused at her father's name, and again at her mother's beside his. She wanted her parents back, more than anything. All the laughter and joy that all four of them had shared had been shattered when the third Hokage had come and told the 9-year-old Twins that their parents had died. The Twins had pulled away and turned into the constantly fighting pair that they were now. So much had changed, in only three years.

She hated that they were dead, but Chiyo was also proud of her parents. Proud of what they had done, what they had accomplished, in their lives. To still go with the Second Hokage into a battle like that, knowing that they would die, it was amazing. Noble. Brave. The honor she felt her parents had received from that was what they deserved.

That was why Chiyo wanted to be a ninja. She normally just wanted to write her stories and went along in training to appease her parents, but the moment she learned that they had died, she changed everything. She still loved to write, no doubt about that, but she set her mind to becoming what her parents had been. Anything else would not honor what her parents had been, what they had done. She would try as hard as she could to uphold her parents honor and become the ninja that they wanted her to be.

"I knew that you would be here."

Chiyo didn't move her head, but her eyes slid to the left to glance at the boy who stood behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, when you didn't show up, I kinda figured that this is where you would be." He moved forward and sat beside her, a small smile on his face. "You don't mind me joining, do you?"

Chiyo gave a soft sigh before dropping her hand from the names of her parents and leaned back beside her friend. "You're so impatient, Jiraiya."

"No," the white-haired lad smiled as he held out an ice cream cone to her, another in his other hand for himself. "Just caring."

Chiyo gave a small chuckle and took the cone. In her other hand she set the flowers in front of the stone. Jiraiya was a good friend of hers. Her best friend, and had been for years though not many people knew it. Not even Akito.

They sat there for a while in silence before Chiyo finally stood and they departed, heading for the river like they were supposed to meet at earlier. The water was cold but both of them still swam around in it, playing around and splashing eachother.

"Ha! If Tsunade knew that the two of us had been friends since we were eight, she'd kill me!" Jiraiya chuckled, floating around on his back.

Chiyo gave a hmph as he floated past her. "She'd try." She pulled a smile as an idea popped into her head. Slowly moving through the water after the boy with his eyes closed. "I wouldn't let her hurt you, Jiraiya."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because that's my job!" Chiyo pushed off of the floor of the river and hopped onto the white-haired boy, dunking him under the water.

Jiraiya sucked in huge amounts of water and glared at Chiyo as she pulled herself out of the river, laughing as she laid down in the grass. He gave a soft smile and joined her, grabbing a canteen from their clothes as they sat there to let the sun dry their bathing suits.

"I don't want Ariana to return from her mission," Jiraiya decided to say after a few moments. "I like having you with us during training. It's funner with you."

"I don't know if you can call Hiruzen's training 'fun', but I do enjoy having him as my teacher. And having time to spend around you is great too." She then pulled a face. "But it would be better if just you, me, and Hiruko were on the team and the other three were gone."

"Hiruko? Really?" He looked at her like she was crazy. "He can't do anything! He's weird!"

"I give you, he's a little…odd," Chiyo told him, but he's sweet and kind and I find him adorable!"

Jiraiya frowned at that. "Adorable, huh?"

She flushed. "Yes, I think so. I'll make sure to help him along the way. Everyone needs friends, Jiraiya. Don't forget that." She then frowned. "Except for the other three. They can go without them."

"Oh, come on. Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Akito aren't that bad." Jiraiya told her, handing her his canteen.

"I'd rather deal with Nawaki than his elder sister." Chiyo grunted, drinking from the canteen. "Then any of them."

He laughed. "He's only 8, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, so?" She leaned her head back and stared at the blue sky. "I can't wait," She said. "Until our first mission. I will make my parents proud. I'll hold up the honor of the Etsu name, no matter what it takes."

Jiraiya stared at her for a moment before a smile spread across his lips as he laid back down beside her. "And I'll help you do it, no matter what it takes."

She continued to stare at the sky as she reached out with her left hand and grabbed his right. "You promise?"

The white-haired boy continued to smile as he gave a squeeze to her hand. "Of course. After all, what are friends for?"

**I thought this ending was very sweet between the two of them.**

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!**

_**Chapter Three**_

_**What happens to perverts?**_

"**Practice makes me reek."**

Jiraiya gave a chuckle at the girl beside him. "I think you smell fine."

"Are you serious?" Chiyo asked him as the dup walked away from the training grounds. They had just finished with a serious training course with the Hokage. The others of the two Squads had done run off, leaving the two of them by themselves. "I smell like a dog died. All this sweat and dirt…" She hung her head. "And I'm sure that Akito's done run off to claim the bathroom as his own. God, he's more of a girl than I am."

Jiraiya gave a laugh as an idea popped up into his head. "Well, there's always the hot springs, you know."

She glanced at him. "Really?" She frowned at him. "You think I'm going to go there? That place needs to be kept clean, not rinse the yuck off of me.

"Oh, you're being silly," The white-haired boy told her. "Everyone goes there for baths and you know it. Besides, the heat in the water disperses the…whatever it is that gets in there."

Chiyo continued to frown as she thought this over in her head. "I don't know…"

"Oh, come on, Chiyo!" Jiraiya grabbed her and began to push her towards the city. "They ever have towels there for you. You go get in the Hot Springs and I'll get you some clothes for when you're done, okay?"

"But…"

"Stop being a pansy and just do it already, got it?" Jiraiya growled.

"All right all ready," Chiyo hissed. "Get off my back about it and just go get my stuff. I'll be waiting for you outside."

The boy gave her a salute before running off. A grin spread across her face as she continued on towards the hot springs. She had half a mind to just run off for a little while, but why bother? She did need to relax a bit. The others, except Jiraiya and Hiruko, were getting on her nerves. The Hokage was fine, but Tsunade and Orochimaru and Akito just…rubbed her the wrong way. Jiraiya and Hiruko were the only two that she DID like…

Chiyo was a little worried about Hiruko, though. He didn't seem to have…a lot of Chakra on his side. She knew that he was trying his hardest to hide it and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. In a village where Chakra was used in just about everything that they did here, not to have it would be horrible. She had no doubt in her mind that he had been teased for it when he was younger; probably still was. She didn't like the thought of that and so she planned on keeping a protective cocoon around her new, little friend. You didn't need Chakra to be great. She would teach him how to fight without the need of it. If he ever needed a clone or something else to use Chakra for, she would make sure to be close to him and make it for him. She could do that, right? After all, they were partners on a squad. They were going to be stuck with eachother for a long while now.

But that didn't bother her. Hiruko was a sweetheart. She was glad that he was on her team. He was an easy person to talk to and get along with. She knew that they would be great friends; even after only a month of training together.

She waited outside of the Hot Springs for about ten minutes before Jiraiya arrived with her change of clothes and a few towels. She appreciated it and he claimed to go off and get a bath of his own. They were to meet up at the noodle shop for dinner later that night and parted ways. Chiyo found herself enjoying the hot springs a lot more than she thought that she would. The bubbling, steaming water was a lot hotter than she had remembered from her last trip here with her mother and it made her jump back at first before she settled into it. Jiraiya had been right. It cooled her down, soothing her skin and bones from the stress of the training and everything else that was passing through her head.

She was surprised that there wasn't anyone else here at the time of day but she wasn't complaining. She enjoyed the since and let her naked skin soak in the rays of the sun and the drift of the steam. Settling her back against one of the large rocks there at the corner by the fence, she let out a savoring sigh and leaned her head back, eyes closed. It cleared her mind of everything she thought about and relaxed her tight muscles and shaking bones. The Hokage was beating their asses in their training. She had thought that with him having to teach six Genin that he would be a little…underhanded, but that was clearly not the case. If anything, that made the training even worse. She wasn't complaining, though.

Chiyo enjoyed it.

"Dear Lord, what are you doing here?"

The voice made Chiyo lift her head as her eyes jerked open. It seemed that she hadn't been alone after all. "Of course. Of all people that I had to be, it was you." She hissed, all her annoyance clearly shone.

"My thoughts exactly."

Sitting right across from Chiyo was a blonde teen; Tsunade. How Chiyo had not seen her, she had no idea, and she was quietly cursing herself on the inside. "Look, just leave me be and let me sit here and rest." Chiyo told the blonde, closing her eyes again. "I don't want to deal with you right now."

"I was here first," The other teen growled. "You go to the other side of the springs."

Chiyo opened her eyes to glare at the other. "I don't feel like I should. You don't want to be around me, you go off. I'm quite comfortable where I'm at." She closed her eyes again, a large smirk playing across her face. She heard Tsunade give some grumbles before slowly going quiet again. Feeling eyes on her after a few moments, she opened her eyes again to find Tsunade staring at her. She narrowed her eyes. "What are you staring at me for?!"

Tsunade gave her a sharp glare before it faded into…something else. "Those scars…where did you get them from?"

It took a moment for Chiyo to realize what she was talking about before glancing down to her chest. Right where the water cut off above her breasts there were slash-like scars from something like…claws. Chiyo gave a small smile. "Presents, from dear brother Akito and his friend Osakai." She referred to the hawk that her brother could summon. "But I'm not the only one to hold battle wounds. Kurina and I both have left marks on them as well."

Tsunade frowned as she thought of her own, younger brother. "Why is it that the two of you hate eachother so much? One would think that siblings would do anything to keep the others safe, not do anything to harm them."

Chiyo stared at her for a moment before a soft smile spread across her face. "Well, the Etsu family is not what you would call a normal family." She told her. "Akito and I are not normal."

Things fell silent for a moment as Tsunade closed her eyes. She looked like she wanted to ask more but stayed silent. Smart mo-

"Let's get out of here."

The voice was small and low, but she had heard it. Was there another person here? It didn't look like it. Besides, the voice sounded…

"No, not yet. Besides, it's research! Aren't you having fun?"

"What's fun about spying on my sister in the Hot Springs!? You told me that Tsunade would be here, not both of them!"

It became apparent on who it was talking and what the talking meant. Chiyo's anger began to boil as she glanced at the fence behind her as she grabbed the towel behind her. Standing up with the towel around her, she glanced at Tsunade.

"Would you mind putting a towel on?"

Tsunade glanced at her in confusion for a moment before doing as she asked.

"Uh-oh," The voice came again. "I think we've been cau-" The voice was cut off as Chiyo knocked the fence between the two baths down. A look of anger flooded both her face and Tsunade's. Only two sat in the man's hot springs. Jiraiya and Akito. Tsunade now stood beside her, a hand on her hip as her look was murderous.

Jiraiya pulled a nervous look as Akito looked like he was about to die. "H-Hi, girls. What's up?"

The two of them tried to talk themselves out of it, Akito even tried to run for it, but in the end they couldn't hold the two enraged girls off. Jiraiya ended up in the hospital with both his arms and six ribs broken as well as a number of ruptured organs. Akito ended up with him with the same ordeal, a broken nose added to that pack.

Tsunade and Chiyo might not have liked eachother too much before then, but they sure did make one hell of a team.

**A little short, but a filler, XDXD I was stuck on listening to Super Junior-A-Cha music video while writing this tonight. Can't stop listening to it!**

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!**

_**Chapter Four**_

_**Stuck with Us**_

"**I got one! **I got one! I got one!" Chiyo giggled happily as the bell tingled as she jumped up and down with it in her hand.

Both Squads were in the training grounds again. Their assignment today was to get two bells away from Hiruzen during training. The other Squad had already done the mission, the results being Tsunade and Orochimaru getting the bells and leaving poor Jiraiya bound to a wooden pole. The second Squad had just gone and Chiyo and Akito were the victors.

"Congrats," Hiruko gave a smile. "You both did really well."

Chiyo stared at him for a moment before giving a sigh. "Here," Hiruko pulled a surprised face as she tossed him her bell. "You have it."

"But…but why?" He asked her. "You got it from him, it's yours."

"True, I did get it from him, but you are my partner. We're a team and I refuse to see anyone of you stuck to a pole like that poor guy is," She shoved a thumb over her finger towards Jiraiya. "As long as you're on my team, Hiruko, you don't ever have to worry about being left out. I'll take care of you."

Hiruko looked like he was about to cry.

Hiruzen wore a large smile as he watched the young girl talk to her partner. That was what today's mission was all about. Teamwork. It seemed that she was the only one that got it, though. Tsunade and Orochimaru had left Jiraiya on his own as Chiyo made her team work together against him. True, Tsunade and Orochimaru had gotten the bells, but on their own. They didn't work together like he wanted them too.

"Come on now, you're a big boy, right Hiruko?" Akito asked the other. "Don't cry. It makes you seem like a wimp."

"Don't say that!" Chiyo hissed at her brother as Hiruko wiped his eyes. "He's now a wimp!"

"Then what do you call a crying boy?"

Chiyo pulled Hiruko into her arms in a protective hold and with a firm face, replied: "Adorable." Akito stared at his sister before breaking out into a huge laugh.

"All right, that's enough," Hiruzen told them with a sigh. "Chiyo, good job. Giving up your prize to save a teammate is essential in this training. Though Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Akito got a bell as well, you were the top of today's training."

"Yes!" She gave a soft cheer and then shot a grin at Tsunade and Orochimaru. Tsunade wore a furious look as Orochimaru just closed his eyes. Akito gave a sigh.

"As for you, Jiraiya," Hiruzen turned to face the other Squad member.

Chiyo gave a small, worried smile as Hiruzen and the other two picked on their Squad member. She felt really bad for Jiraiya. It wasn't fair for his teammates to leave him in the dust to work on his own. If he had been on her team then he wouldn't have gotten a bell as well and all of this would have been perfect. She didn't care what happened with Tsunade and Orochimaru, just Jiraiya.

Akito gave his arms a stretch as thy were dismissed, leaving Jiraiya and the Hokage to talk on their own. He planned on going to get some lunch when Tsunade approached him out of the blue.

"Akito," She began. She wore a firm look on her face and he jumped away from her.

"Look, I'm sorry I let Jiraiya talk me into spying on you guys in the hot springs! I haven't done it since so please don't hurt me again!"

"Sh-shut up!" Tsunade blushed with an annoyed look. "It's not about that!"

He dropped is defenses. "It's not?"

"No, it's…it's about you and your sister."

Akito gave a sigh and hung his head. "What do you want to know? A way to beat her?"

"No, it's not that. It's…" Tsunade thought for a moment. "What happened to make the two of you hate eachother so much?"

He gave a second sigh. "I feared that you would ask me this one day."

About half an hour later, Tsunade sat across the table from Akito. They had gone to the Etsu house to talk privately. Chiyo had gone out to lunch with Hiruko so they had some free time to talk. Akito wore a firm look on his face as she stared at the table beneath them.

"Since I could even remember, our parents have trained us. When we were younger, it was the simple climbing up trees on feet and walking on water and when we got older it went to things with weapons and fighting techniques."

"How young?" Tsunade asked him.

"I believe we were 7 when I got my first scar from mother," Akito leaned back in his chair, staring off in a daze of remembrance.

"That young?!"

"That's not strange, Tsunade. Both my parents were Jonin Ninja when they were 6. According to father we were a little behind, but that was mother's fault. She wanted her children for a few years longer before handing them over to the village." Akito closed his eyes. It wasn't too long after out 8th birthday that mother and father decided to teach us to summon their partners. Osakai was my mother's; a hawk that has a thing for beautiful, human women. He's obsessed with my mother, even after her death. Chiyo was given Kurina, our father's spider. She's rather dangerous to any and every one. Osakai and Kurina never got along, even when they were with our parents, but they were strong enough to keep the two summons under control." Tsunade continued to listen, extremely interested. He gave a smile. "Those were the days. Back then, Chiyo and I were always together. No arguing. No fighting. We were totally different people then we are today. It was that night before Hiroki and Kazumi, our parents, went out to join the war. Chiyo and father got into a huge fight. Father was upset that…that Chiyo would rather write her stories than be a ninja. No, not upset; furious. The yelling made the house shake. That was the first, and last time, that my father ever actually hit Chiyo. He ended up breaking her arm."

Tsunade lifted a hand to her mouth in shock. "How?"

"A 30-year-old Jonin against a 9-year-old child? It's not hard to imagine how." Akito closed his eyes. "Father regretted it, I'm sure, even if he didn't even live long after that. When we received word that our parents had died with Hokage Tobirama, with your uncle, Chiyo curled away for almost a year. Even I never really saw her. Wouldn't talk to anyone, barely came out. And then she revealed herself. When I saw her, I instantly knew that she had changed. It was hard not to. That kind, carefree girl she had once been was replaced by what you see before you now. I felt…responsible."

"Responsible?"

"For her change. I was all that she had left and I mourned in my own way over our parents instead of being there for my sister. If I had forced myself to pull her out then she might not have changed. I still see her sometimes, the original Chiyo. Like today, with Hiruko and most of the time when she's with Jiraiya. I've seen them in the city sometimes. Jiraiya goes with her to the Memorial Stone often to be there for her. It should be me there, not him, but I just…" He took a breath. "I blamed myself for her change and so, I make her hate me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I always start the fights. I always make her want to be mad and frustrated with me. It's my punishment for not being there for her, and it seems to be the only way that I can get through to her anymore. I know that one day, the old Chiyo will return, but until then I'll continue on with the way we are now until Chiyo has the strength to pull herself free."

_**~Just one more moment**_

_**That's all that's needed**_

_**Like wounded soldiers **_

_**In need of healing~**_

"**Why am I assigned to a Squad with you?** Don't I deal with you enough already?"

"Oh, just be quiet, Chiyo. You're starting to be annoying."

"That's funny, coming from you."

Hiruko gave a sigh as he watched the argument between the Etsu twins progress. ~Wasn't this the exact same words they said three months ago when we were first assigned to teams?~ He asked himself. Hiruko had no idea what to do when the two of his teammates got like this, so he normally just sat back and watched until they died down or someone else stopped it; most of the time it was Hiruzen when he arrived for the training that day.

"Hey, Chiyo," the twins instantly stopped arguing and turned to find that the other team had arrived. Tsunade was the one that had been talking. The blonde had moved towards them, a strange look on her face as she folded her hands behind her back.

"What do you want?" Chiyo asked her.

"Well, I was just…" She hung her head for a moment before lifting it up with a small smile on her face. "I was just wondering if, after practice today, you wanted to go get some lunch with me and then hit the Hot Springs again. You know, have sort of a girls day."

Everyone in the clearing was surprised. Jiraiya's mouth fell open and Orochimaru stared at Tsunade like she was a psycho. Hiruko's eyes went wide and Akito looked surprised himself before a smile spread across his lips. Chiyo stared at Tsunade in a silence that seemed to last forever before a small smile spread across her lips as well.

"Sure, Tsunade. Think that would be fun. Besides, I need to get away from all these boys for a little while." She then turned her eyes to Jiraiya. "And if I even think that you're spying on us like you did last time, I'll rip your eyes out instead of just break a few bones, got it?"

"Same goes for you, Akito." Tsunade growled at the other twin.

"Hey," Jiraiya held his hands up in defense. "You got my word."

"Sadly, that doesn't ease my suspicion." Tsunade commented; it made Chiyo break out into laughter.

"I see that you're all in a rather pleased mood today," Hiruzen smiled as he joined the six students.

"Should we not be?" Chiyo asked, placing a hand on her hip as she turned to face their teacher. "So, what's on the agenda for today, Hokage?"

"Nothing, really," The man closed his eyes. "Training has been canceled."

"What?" Akito raised a brow.

"But why?" Hiruko asked.

"Ariana, the woman that was supposed to be doing your training," He told Chiyo, Akito, and Hiruko. "Her team has sent back a report on her death during her mission." The children stayed silent for a moment. "I am going to have to go to the school and find another teacher for-"

"No!" Chiyo told the older man. He looked at her in surprise. "You've been doing just fine with all of us, Hiruzen."

"I agree," Jiraiya took a step forward with a grin. "Why go through all the trouble to find a new teacher when you can take care of us all in a blink of an eye? Changing that now could just ruin everything."

"Yeah, I like having you as a teacher, Hiruzen," Akito crossed his arms behind his head.

"Besides," Hiruko decided to put his word in with a laugh. "How many people do you know that could put up with Chiyo and Akito's constant arguing all of the time?"

"Hey!" The twins shouted at their Squad member together as the others all laughed.

"Just face it, old man," Chiyo now grinned. "You're just stuck with all of us."

Hiruzen gave a small grin. "Old man, am I? Well, just for that, this old man is gonna make you work extra hard today!"

Hiruzen had to admit, over the last few months, he had grown used to training all six of these kids. And they were right. Taking any of them away now would just ruin everything.

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE STORY!**

_**Chapter Five**_

_**A Story**_

"**Chiyo! **Chiyo, over here!" The boy's voice caught the girl as she walked down the streets and she paused, turning to the noodle shack beside her. Hiruko was sitting there with a large smile, waving at her. "Come join me!"

She had been on her way to the flower shop for her parents again before training started later that afternoon, Jiraiya to meet her there again, and she was going to refuse but the large smile on her team member's face made her change her mind.

"What are you doing here all by yourself, Hiruko?"

"Mom and Dad are out on another mission," Hiruko's answer was sad. "So it's just me again."

"You parents do a lot of missions, don't they?" She asked him.

"Yeah, but they're ninja. That's what they're supposed to do…"

Chiyo glanced at the sad look on the boy's face and saw something that reminded her of herself when she was younger. "Well, whenever your parents are out on their missions, why don't you come to my place?" She offered. "It's big enough and you're part of our team anyway." Hiruko's eyes swelled up as his bottom lip began to quiver. "Oh, come on, don't cry!"

"You would do that for me?" He asked her. "But why?"

"We're a team, aren't we? We're supposed to look after each other. Besides, you're my friend. I take care of those important to me." That looked like it made him what to cry even more and she slipped an arm around his shoulders. "Don't cry, Hiru," She told him with a smile. "I don't like it when my friends cry." He rubbed his eyes clear and placed a large smile on his face. He stared at her for a moment, remembering what she had told him a few days ago when they had the bell mission.

_"As long as you're on my team, Hiruko, you don't ever have to worry about being left out. I'll take care of you."_

"You really mean that, don't you?" He asked her.

"Of course I do," She told him. "And just to prove it, it's just gonna be me and you all day, got it?"

"Really?" Hiruko asked her. "You don't have plans already?"

She thought about her normal visit to the KIA stone, but pushed that aside. She could go one day without going to visit them, couldn't she? It seemed that her teammate needed her more now at the moment, anyway. "Nope, not too important that I can't do later, anyway. So, what do you want to do today?"

The two kids pretty much just wandered around the village all day, stopping in stores and having fun. Chiyo even bought a few things here and there for herself and for Hiruko. The boy was embarrassed by it and swore that he would be getting her things next time.

Now that they spent more time together, Chiyo learned some really interesting things about her Squad Member. Hiruko was a sweet boy that felt ashamed of himself and guilty for not being on par with the twins' strength. He had admitted that he felt like he was holding her and her brother back in their training.

"I…I don't have any special abilities," Hiruko told her, playing with the bowl of ramen before him. "And I'm not good with physical attacks. I'll never be as good as you or Akito. Hell, I'll never be as good as Jiraiya!" He cried.

"No, you won't be," He turned to stare at the girl beside her. "If you keep saying that." She stared at the wall across from them, hands folded beneath her chin. "You won't get anywhere by just saying that and believing it. If you want to get stronger, than you have to work for it. It's just how life is. Move for it, Hiruko, don't let it just make you believe that you can't do anything. Prove that you can." She pushed herself up from her chair. "Come on little guy, let's go."

Hiruko had almost forgotten that they had a training day after lunch. Today was going to be a little different than normally. It had been nearly a year since the group had been training together and today, the Hokage decided to place the teams against one another to find out who was stronger. It was only supposed to be in hand to hand, though, so that must have been why Hiruko was so worried.

"And just where have you been all morning?"

Jiraiya's voice was angry as Hiruko and Chiyo finally decided to join the five ninja that were waiting on them.

Chiyo gave a smile. "Sorry about that, Jiraiya. Ran into Hiruko on the way and ended up eating lunch with him."

The white-haired boy didn't say anything after that but wore a frown on his face as he glanced at Hiruko. The other boy didn't look back at him; he was glancing off to the side with a large blush on his cheeks.

"All right, Sensei," Akito turned to the elder of the group. "Let's get these Showdowns going, shall we?"

"Ok," Hiruzen had Chiyo and her team grab from a bag. "These pieces of paper hold the names of the ones that you will be fighting. If you would please."

Chiyo paused for a moment before opening the strip in her hand. A large grin spread across her face. Glancing aside at her team, Akito wore a frown on his face. Hiruko looked like he was about to die as he lifted a shaky gaze over at the other Squad. Glancing at the paper in his hand, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Hiruko. You'll do just fine."

"No I won't!" Hiruko cried. They could hear his voice going into a huge panic. "I'll never beat him! I can't!"

"Remember what I said earlier? Believe in yourself, Hiruko. Besides, Jiraiya's not that hard." Chiyo giggled.

"Hey! I CAN hear you, you know!" The boy growled.

"Jiraiya, huh?" Akito glanced over at his sister. "That means you got stuck with…"

Chiyo turned her gaze over to the other Squad. "Snake-boy."

Orochimaru stared at her for a moment before closing his eyes as he gave a sigh. Jiraiya pulled a frown. He didn't like the thought of Orochimaru and Chiyo fighting each other.

"So, that means it's me and you, huh?" Tsunade placed a hand on her hip as she glared at Akito. "I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Honey, I wouldn't want you too." The boy replied.

"I guess that decides on who goes first," Chiyo gave a grin as she turned and took a seat on a long nearby. The others followed her, and Hiruzen stayed standing to watch the fight between the children. Akito and Tsunade were straight to the point with the other, not even trying to tease with the other like Akito normally would. Akito did wear that grin though, especially when he beat her.

"And that, good son, is that," Akito grinned, wiping his hands clean as he glanced at Hiruzen. "So, does that mean our team is better?"

"Hey, we still have two more matches to go," Tsunade growled. She glared at the two boys. "And you better kick their asses!"

"Go knock him out, Hiruko." Chiyo told her friend, pushing him to his feet.

"I thought that you'd be on Jiraiya's side," Akito told his sister.

"Hey, I got to be on my team's side, even if he is my friend!" Chiyo grinned.

To be honest, she was excited about her own match. You have no idea how long she wanted to put Orochimaru in his place. The snake-boy just…annoyed her. So much more than her brother and Tsunade did put together!

"I'm impressed, Hiruko," Akito smiled when the younger boy when he took his seat again.

"With me?" Hiruko looked surprised. "But…but I lost…"

"But you kicked ass," Akito told him. "You did a lot better than I thought you would. At least you lasted longer than you did against me, remember? That means you're getting better. Keep it going!"

Hiruzen gave a smile. Akito and Chiyo were doing all that they could to try and make Hiruko more comfortable being in their Squad. Helping him grow stronger and have more pride in his own moves and form of attack was a smart idea. A smart idea that the Hokage of the Leaf Village wanted everyone in Squad to help with each other, but something told him that the three of them were going to be one of the few Squads whoever did that, instead of being upset or leave their members to train on their own. He knew that neither Tsunade nor Orochimaru would help Jiraiya in this way. Speaking of which…

"All right, snake-boy," Chiyo grinned. "Let's go."

Orochimaru gave a sigh as he moved forward to stand in front of her. "Why even bother? You know that you're going to lose."

"Yeah, lose my patience in you taking so long." Chiyo growled, clenching her fists.

Hiruzen found it strange that Chiyo and Orochimaru hated each other. He had thought that the two of them, more than any of the others, would have gotten along the best. Orochimaru was an orphan as well, and a genius. Both their talents, knowledge, and determination were considered to be that of a prodigy seen once in a generation. To have the both of them in the same era would eventually give the Leaf a high stand in their missions; especially this soon after the war.

Oh yes, Orochimaru may have been a genius, but Chiyo couldn't stand him. From her view point, he was a twisted little child. She could see it in his eyes and feel it whenever they were close to each other. She didn't know why he came out of his mother looking so…strange, but that wasn't why she didn't like him. Until someone realized that she was right, she would do all that she could to keep snake-boy from…

From what? What could he do? Perhaps she was taking it a little too far. Yes, Orochimaru was strange and yes, she didn't like him, but that didn't necessarily mean that he would ever do anything wrong, did it? Was she just being…a brat?

Now truly wasn't a time to be thinking about this because it distracted her mind from the battle before her and that was a horrible mistake. A horrible mistake that shoed away all her thoughts of treating Orochimaru differently.

The final blow was the worst of all of Orochimaru's attacks. Not because of the said blow, but because of how Chiyo landed on her arm. The crack echoed around the field before being followed by her cry. Orochimaru landed and turned to face his opponent again just to have her brother's fist land square in his face. Akito had run forward in rage; Jiraiya would have joined him if Tsunade had not grabbed him first. Hiruzen moved forward quickly had grabbed ahold of Akito so that neither a second nor a third blow could land on the other boy, telling him to calm down.

Hiruko gave a sigh of relief. ~That could have turned nasty,~ He turned to look at Chiyo. "Are you…" His voice faded. Chiyo was gone, leaving the rest of them on the training grounds themselves. "Chiyo…"

**Chiyo had run off from the training grounds, clutching her broken arm to her chest as she sat there on the bank of the river.**

"Fool," She criticized herself. "Rule 1 of Father's training: keep your mind on the battle. Now look where you are." She shook her head. "And at the likes of him! You're an idiot, Chiyo! An idiot!"

"I wouldn't necessarily say that," A voice told her. She jumped and lifted her head to find that a woman was now sitting before her, a small smile on her face.

The woman was tall and looked like she was in her late twenties with long white hair. Dressed in long black pants with a pink top with snowflakes, a strange feeling settling around her. Chiyo took a better look at her eyes. A pale tan. Hyuuga eyes. She should have realized that she would have come across a Hyuuga here. After all, this part of the river was close by their estate.

"What do you want?" Chiyo growled. "Come to make fun of me?"

The woman held her small smile. "Not at all. I watched your little match. Everyone loses their mind in a battle every now and then. I did once…it nearly cost me my entire life. All you can do is pick up and learn from it, not feel ashamed."

"How can I not feel ashamed?!" the girl cried. "He may have beaten me, but now I won't be able to demand a rematch until this blasted arm is healed!"

The Hyuuga gave a smile before slowly reaching forward and grabbing the said arm. Chiyo watch as the woman's hand began to glow a bright blue before the light wrapped itself around her arm. It was a little painful, yes, but it was that good pain you felt like when you pulled out a thorn; this time it was just a bunch of thorns.

"It is easy to feel ashamed of losing in a battle, but if you were to do that every time you lost, then you would feel ashamed for a long, long time. There is always going to be someone that can beat you, no matter what you do and no matter how many times you fight them. All you can do is train and train until you beat them instead. Instead of feeling ashamed, be happy."

"Happy?"

"Happy that there's someone that you have to train to be better than. It will make your final victory taste all the better. A rival that you will always strive to beat and in the end, one day will."

Chiyo stared at her for a moment. "You've gone through something like this yourself, haven't you?"

"Of course. Like I said, everyone will at least once in their lives as a ninja. And not even always as a ninja. In a regular life as well."

"Did you…beat him?" The glowing light was gone now and her arm was let go of. Moving her arm around, she was shocked to find that it wasn't broken anymore. This woman…

A strange smile came across the woman's face. "Oh, I did much more than beat him…" Things fell silent for a moment before her smile returned to normal. "Can I tell you a story?"

"A story?"

"Yes. It's about a woman that I remember when I was a child. She reminds me a lot of you." She took a breath and closed her eyes. "Her name was Azumi, another Hyuuga. She was a bright young woman. Strong. Intelligent. Beautiful. Popular…" Her voice turned gruff at that word, but just for a moment before her tone turned normal. "She was good friends with Tobirama and his brother, Hashirama."

"The Hokages?" Chiyo asked. "You must have been young."

"I was. Five at the time I'm talking about. Azumi was a strong person, but one day she was defeated by a member of the Uchiha Clan. I'm sure you heard of the man named Madara?" A gasp came out of Chiyo's mouth. Of course she knew who Madara Uchiha was. He helped Hashirama build the leaf village…until he went crazy and turned on them. "I'll take that as a yes. See, before the village was formed, the Hyuuga and the Senju were already partners and Azumi and the Senju brothers were wondrous fighters together. You could call them the first Squad of the Leaf. Well, Madara was the first one ever to knock Azumi out of a fight; beat the hell out of her in their first battle to where she…" She closed her eyes again. "After that, Azumi held a hatred for Madara and trained her hardest to be able to beat him in their next fight."

"Did she ever do so?" Chiyo asked.

"In a way…" The woman answered. "Madara isn't here in the Leaf Village anymore, is he?"

"But they told us that Hashirama was the one that chased Madara away." The child replied.

"Yes, I'm sure that they did…" She leaned forward and placed a hand on the girl's head. "But remember, there are more ways to defeating someone, than in just battle, little one, and that's what Azumi taught me. Train your hardest, but it doesn't have to be in physical strength. Remember that."

Chiyo felt her feelings rise from the depths that they had been in. "Yeah…" She closed her eyes. "How will I be able to face them now, though?"

"Don't talk about it," The woman had stood to her feet, that smile back on her lips. "If they mention it, then don't feel ashamed. Shrug their words off and continue on the way you normally do; with a smile."

Chiyo gave a grin and closed her eyes. "Thanks Miss…" No one answered and she opened her eyes to find out that the woman was gone. "What the…" She glanced back down at her newly healed arm. "What a weird lady…"

**For those who don't know, yes, that strange woman was Kari. If you don't know who Kari is, refer to Madara's story, Your Imperfection!**

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE STORY!**

_**Chapter Six**_

_**Stay Strong**_

"**Are you serious?"**

"That's what he told me. I still don't believe it but all his things are packed up. He's gone."

"What about Chiyo?"

"What does my sister have to do with this?"

Tsunade looked at the man across the table from her like he was an idiot. Jiraiya and Chiyo had been friends since they were children. It was…hard to lose anyone that close to you. "Akito, your sister and Jiraiya are very close, have been for years. Don't you think she's gonna have a problem with him just leaving out of the blue like this?"

Akito gave a sigh and stood up from the table. "Chiyo's an adult now. She can handle her emotions" ~You better not make me a liar, Chiyo.~

…

…

"**HYAH!"**

"Hey, I said that I was sorry!"

"Then stop moving and take it like a man!"

"God, Stop it, Chiyo! Are you trying to kill me?1"

"Stop moving and you'll find out!"

Hiruko was short of breath as he dodged another of his team members attacks. He did let a small smile spread across his face. Years ago, this woman would have killed him with her attacks but now he was able to hold his own against her and her brother. All their training with him worked out exquisitely.

Chiyo wore a look of cheer on her face as she paused in the fight, wiping sweat off of her brow. "Not too bad, Hiruko. I can see that these last few years haven't been totally useless."

"Aww, I love you too, Chiyo," The man replied.

It had been years since that fateful day Chiyo spoke to the mysterious Hyuga member. Nearly six, leaving Chiyo nearly 19 and a graduate from the Hokage's teachings. Chiyo had cut her red hair short to her ears and her eyes of gray held more of a teasing look to them than the angry gaze that had held when she was younger. Over the years she had learned to control that temper of her's and become a more approachable person. She didn't even let Orochimaru get to her any longer; publicly, anyway. Something about snake-boy still rubbed her the wrong way. She could honestly, and happily, say that she got her revenge for that one fight six years ago. A good revenge, too.

"What are you going to do now?" Hiruko asked her, sipping from his water bottle.

"Now? I'm probably going to go get some lunch and take a nice, hot bath."

"I meant now that we're no longer Genin."

She paused for a moment, thinking to herself as a small smile passed over her face. "Well, we'll be given missions, no doubt, but outside of that…I think that I'll finally step forward and publish a book or two of mine."

Hiruko knew that she loved to write. "You mean you've finally finished one?"

"Hiru, I've finished several. I've just never…given them to anyone, you know? Call it not being ready yet to let anyone inside of my thoughts and mind, you know?"

"I am sure that they're all wonderful," Hiruko told her. "And I can't wait to read them. Let me know when you do publish one and I'll be first in line to buy it."

Her friend's words made her blush and smile. "I appreciate that, Hiruko, I really do."

"Well, it's true. I'm sure you'll be famous with those stories that you come up with! You'll be a famous ninja too, no doubt, and that'll make everyone want to read your novels even more."

"Now you're just trying to tease me," Chiyo swatted a hand at him. "Run along now. We'll train some more tomorrow, all right?"

"If you want to," Hiruko shrugged and folded his arms behind his head. He turned to walk away but glanced back at his friend. "And though it's a day earlier, happy birthday, Chiyo."

Chiyo smiled even wider as she gathered her things together. Tomorrow was her and Akito's birthday. She couldn't wait to see what her friends had gotten her; what Jiraiya had gotten her.

Before even going home to get a change of clothes to visit the Hot Springs, she went to visit her parents again. She only had to sit there before the large KIA stone for a little while before she had a companion join her.

"How was training?"

"Fine. Hiruko is still progressing in his strength. I'm proud of him. He must do even more training after our normal hours."

"Good," Akito sat down beside his sister. "I refuse to have any weakling on our team."

Chiyo gave him a soft shove. "Hiruko is fine. Weaker than the two of us, but still, much, much more stronger than he was. You should be pleased to have him on our team, Akito."

Akito gave a soft smile before it faded away. Chiyo, there's-"

"Where do you want to go eat tomorrow for our birthday?" She asked her brother. "I am tired of noodles so let's get everyone together and go to the barbeque shack or something like that. What do you think?"

"Chiyo-"

"Or maybe the Breakfast place in the morning instead of waiting for the afternoon. I have been craving some bacon lately. Or even-"

"Chiyo!" Akito's growl brought a halt to her words in surprise. He took a deep breath. "I…I don't think that you're gonna want to have a party tomorrow."

She stared at him silence for a moment before letting a laugh out of her throat. "Why would you say something like that? It's our birthday, Akito. Sure, I'm tired of searing your ass everywhere I go, but still."

"Yeah, I love you too," He told her. "But, uh, I'm afraid that Jiraiya's not going to be able to make it, Chiyo."

Her grin fell. "What do you mean? His ass better be there, dammit! After all the shit I put up with from him-"

"I'm afraid that I have to tell you that Jiraiya's no longer in the village, Chiyo."

"What, did he get sent on a mission?"

"Not exactly." Akito sighed. This was much harder that he thought it was going to be.

"Then what is it?"

Akito ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Jiraiya has…currently left the Leaf Village on a travel across the land."

"When does he leave?"

"He left…last night."

Akito slammed his eyes shut, waiting for his sister's anger to slam down on him. When nothing happened, though, he lifted his eyes to the woman beside him. She was just staring at the stone…no source of reaction on her face or voice as she spoke.

"Is that so…" She then turned and gave her brother a smile. "Thanks for letting me know." She glanced away. "You can go ahead and pick out where we'll be going. Just remember that I don't want noodles," She continued to smile as she stood up. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower, all right? "

Akito watched his sister walk away for a moment before falling back onto the grass and staring up at the blue sky. He had half a mind that the clouds would turn into a stormy color. "I hope you know what you're doing, Jiraiya, cuz if not I'm gonna make you suffer for it if I ever see you again."

…

…

"**So, he was telling the truth."**

Jiraiya's home was empty of his belongings. The bed and the table were still there, but everything else was gone. All his clothes. His notebooks. Everything was gone, except for a flower and a letter on the table. There was no doubt in her mind that that was meant for her, but she didn't know if she was going to read it or not.

She didn't know how to feel about him doing something like this. Just up and leaving her without any warning. She had to learn of it through her brother, no lease, but I suppose that would be better than learning it tomorrow when he didn't show up for her birthday.

How was she supposed to react to this? Should she be angry? Sad? A mixture of both? Her best friend, the one that had been there for her was now gone without so much of a word.

Reaching out, she grabbed the note on the table and skimmed over it. At first she was mad, no she was gonna be mad for a while, but at the same time…

"Stupid jerk," she growled, crumbling the note in her hand.

_Chiyo,_

_If you're reading this, I can only guess on how angry you are with me. I'm sure that if I were to show my face to you right now, you'd probably beat the hell out of it. I'm sorry for bailing out on you right before your birthday and for even not telling you about me leaving, but I was afraid that If I saw your reaction, I wouldn't be able to go on with my journey. Traveling the world has been one of my dreams since I could remember and now was my chance to take it and so, I did. I hope you won't be too mad at me when we get to see one another again…one day. Don't worry, the Leaf Village will always be my home, so I will come back soon, one day. I just hope that you'll wait on me to do so before running off on your own. I hope you'll forgive me for leaving like I did and I pray that you won't beat the hell out of me when I return. Just know that you're still going to be on my mind no matter where I go and I will bring you back a lot of gifts to make up for my actions. Stay safe and strong, Chiyo, until we meet again._

Added by Renji Abarai

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**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE ANIME/MANGA!**

_**Chapter Seven**_

_**Bought Every One**_

"**How did the mission go?"**

"Oh, you know how it is, Tsunade. Chiyo and her little pet are more attached now than ever."

Tsunade gave a snort. "Akito, you can't say that. You and Osakai are as close as Chiyo and Kurina are."

Akito gave the blonde woman a frown. "I'm not talking about her and her damn spider, Tsunade. I'm talking about Hiruko!"

Tsunade let her chopsticks lower from her mouth. "Hiruko? What do you mean?"

It had been nearly five years since the Hokage's Squad had been split up. Akito found himself being switched back and forth between missions with Tsunade and Orochimaru to missions with Chiyo and Hiruko. He would complain, of course, but that was how he was.

Akito Etsu, now in his late twenties, was 6'3' in height with short, red hair that he kept combed back. Dressed in a pair of black pants and a net shirt, he had paused for a moment to stuff his face with his own noodles. They were now sitting at a Ramen shack that had just opened up; Ichiraku Ramen. Teuchi was young, barely in his thirties, running it with his newly-wed wife.

"Well," Akito covered a burp. "What did you expect to happen? It's been almost eight years since Jiraiya left. Someone had to take his spot. You can't separate the two of them even in Hiruko was dying. He refuses to let Chiyo go anywhere without him. It's like a child following his mother everywhere."

"Well, think about it," Tsunade closed her eyes. "Hiruko was teased and made fun of with everything until Chiyo decided to put a stop to it. And then his parents never returned from battle so he feels close to her. To both of you. After all, your pasts are close and you held train him just as much as your sister did."

"Not as much," Akito shook his head. "But a little, that is true." He sighed and leaned backwards, placing a hand over his face. "But I just don't like it. Like Hiruko."

"What's wrong with him?" She asked him. "Compared to the others he's a god-send."

"Don't remind me," Akito shuddered before placing his money for the noodles down. "I just…there's something about him that I just don't like. There's a weird feel about him. His Jutsus and things…I swear that I've seen them before."

"After a while they do like the same. You're just thinking about it too hard, Akito." Tsunade told her friend as she stood up. "You need a break so come with me. Let's go to the river. We don't have plans until this evening."

"Yeah, Chiyo's book-signing," Akito gave a sigh as he stood to move after the woman. "What is this, her fourth book? Hasn't her imagination died yet?"

"Living with you, she can think up many horror stories."

As they walked away, the man they hadn't noticed sitting to their right gave a smirk. "Book signing, huh?"

_**~Just one more moment**_

_**That's all that's needed**_

_**Like wounded soldiers**_

_**In need of healing~**_

"**Good job again, Chiyo."**

The woman turned at the voice of her sensei. "To be congratulated by the Hokage, I should feel honored."

Hiruzen gave a laugh. "_Should_?"

The book-signing was currently being held at the Konoha Archive Library. It would have been held at the store but the building was currently under remodeling so the library it was.

"One wouldn't expect for the leader of the village to come here." The woman commented, crossing her arms. "Especially over something so simple as this."

"What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't show my support for you work?" Hiruzen told her.

Chiyo gave a smile and leaned forward to pull the elder man into a hug. "I appreciate it, Hiruzen. Thank you."

He gave a chuckle. "It's no problem. Besides, it got me out of the office." The doors had been open and people are traveling around and getting ready for the signing. The Hokage stared down at the table where the new book sat in piles, waiting for the event to start. He picked up one of the books that sat there and pulled it up closer to his face. "_The Koshiona Widow_, hmm?" The man gave a smile. "I was hoping that, after the first three that you would take a gander at something else, but I have to say that your horror stories are quite… frightening." He gave a smile and held it out to her. "Quite the books to read as well."

Chiyo gave a smile and grabbed the book. Signing the inside page, she handed it back to her teacher. "On the house."

Hiruzen gave a smile. "I'll pay for it just like all the others."

"You already have, Sensei," She smiled. "Dealing with me for the last 15 years; and that dick I call my brother."

"I heard that." As the two of them were laughing, Akito had decided to join them, Hiruko and Tsunade right behind him.

"Fact's a fact," Chiyo continued to laugh. "I'm sure all six of us were pains in the ass to teach when we were younger."

"Still are," Hiruzen decided to tease; at made the rest of them laugh.

"So, where's Orochimaru?" Chiyo asked. "Hiding in his little nest?"

"You and I both know that your celebration is the LAST thing that he'd come to," Akito crossed his arms.

"Don't worry about it," Tsunade told her friend, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Everything's gonna be awesome tonight so just let it go and have fun with it, all right?"

"Yeah," Hiruko nodded. "Just let it all slide, you know?"

"That makes no sense." Akito commented.

"Shut it."

Chiyo gave a laugh. "Yeah, let's just have fun with it."

Hiruzen gave his student another glance. Chiyo, of all six of the ones that he had trained, was the most successful. Orochimaru was his favorite, no doubt about that, but Chiyo had progressed her life the furthest into something more than just a Shinobi.

At 5'10' in height, Chiyo's red hair was now longer, towards the middle of her back in a braid, as she wore black pants and a white top. Her anger had been placed under control over these last years. She had progressed the furthest of all of them.

The event lasted several hours before everyone decided to call it quits and start heading home. Akito and Hiruko stayed behind to help Chiyo clean up but she sent them on her way, wanting a few moments of peace before she returned to their home. After Hiruko's parents died, he basically moved into their home. Akito went to his house and gathered all his things, placing the young man in an empty room between theirs, making them more than just teammates. Hiruko was clearly part of the Etsu family now, no matter what anyone in the village said. One of the Jonins they worked with told Chiyo and her brother that they were being foolish in pulling the man into their family but Akito happily took care of it before Chiyo's anger was set loose.

Her anger wasn't like how it was all those years ago but there were still things that had the ability to set her off like she used to be but then again everyone was like that. She had seen Hiruko do it once on one if their missions and she can honestly say that that was not something that she wanted to see again. The aftermath was horrible.

"_When you look for the truth, the answer you find may not be what you want."_

The voice made Chiyo give a little jump. She was bust placing her final things in her bag and paused, staring at the bag in her hands. "_If you go further, searching, then be ready for all that you can find…and blame no one but yourself if you cannot handle the answer."_

Her face was plain as she straightened to a stand. Several thoughts were passing through her head. That was a quote from the book that was just released. _The Koshiona Widow._ And that quote was close to the end. How could someone have gotten that far? Glancing around the library, looking for the form, she found it as they moved behind some shelves, as if taking their time. The voice told her that it was a man. The left corner of her mouth dropped into a frown.

"_And if you decide to continue on this path, keep in mind the journey you take and the people that go through it with you. Are they worth losing to find what you want?"_

She gave a small grin then. "_Not every answer is worth finding; not worth the struggle. But, perhaps, the answer to an unknown question can be answered for you to change your mind."_

"_The decision is yours to make, Koshiona. Can you handle the answer you find?"_

Chiyo gave a smirk. "To have gotten that far since this morning, I'm impressed. It's not often that you find someone that likes to read that much."

"I couldn't put it down," The voice replied, still behind the shelves; why was he hiding? "I bought everyone one of the books that you have written and put a halt to everything that I was doing at the time until I finished it. My training was even on halt and believe me, Shima and Fukasaku did not like that at all." Chiyo didn't know who he was talking about let him continue. "Excellent work, Chiyo. I am thoroughly impressed."

"Well, I am glad that you like them so much," Her stalker alarm was going off in her head and she began to carefully head for the door. "It makes me happy that I have fans."

"Oh, I'm more than a fan, Chiyo."

Chiyo instantly felt like she was about to have to kick some ass and lifted her hands for an attack but her mouth dropped open and her hands dropped as the man presented himself to her.

The man was tall with waist-length, spiky white hair that he held tied back with two red lines from his dark eyes. Dressed in black and green, he wore a large smile on his face and a backpack and scroll on his shoulders.

She instantly knew who this man was, seeming as how that white hair and red stripes on his face was only seen on one person, like ever, and that stupid smirk that greeted her wasn't hard to remember.

"What's up?" Jiraiya gave a greeting, trying to pull off a, successful, mind you, cool stance. He stood there for a few seconds, waiting to hear the woman's cries of her long lost friend but instead he received silence and watched as she left the library. Dumbfounded for a moment, Jiraiya stared at her empty spot before hurrying outside after her. "Chiyo, wait!" She kept walking. He reached for her shoulder. "Chiyo-" His answer was a fist in the face that knocked him off his feet and onto his back in the middle of the night. A few people were still walking around but as the hit landed they hurried off on their own. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for leaving, you jerk!" Chiyo roared, placing her hands on her hips as she gave him a few swift kicks. "What did you expect? Me to be happy and things would be the same as they were eight years ago? I don't think so!"

Jiraiya knew that she was going to be upset but he hadn't been ready to be hit by her. "Chiyo, I'm sorry, but I had-"

"It's not even the fact that you left, Jiraiya," Her voice had turned soft again. When Jiraiya had landed on the ground his backpack and been ripped open, scattering everything inside it on the street. She reached down and picked up one of the books.

One of her books.

"It's the fact that you thought a simple note would be enough. You didn't even tell me face to face. You just left me without another word. I had to find out about it through my brother! Do you know how embarrassing that was? Not to even mention it was the night before my birthday! You hadn't even waited until afterwards!" Jiraiya just watched in silence as she gathered his things together as he held his nose, trying to stop it from bleeding. She handed him everything in silence before standing up again and walking away some more. Jiraiya jumped to his feet and scurried after her, holding his things in one arm as the other still held his nose. He had been expecting her to go back home but she stopped at a place called Shushuya; it hadn't been there the last time Jiraiya was here. The building was large with pillars that supported it, high ceilings with multiple lights, a bar with stools that displayed a lot of alcohol and multiple wooden booths for customers to sit in; Chiyo took one off to the side and settled down. Jiraiya followed her.

Shushuya was a restaurant/pub that had been built about a year ago. It sold its own brand of sake and served a large-platter cooking, when all the food is put on a single, large platter. Chiyo was apparently here often because they served her without even asking what she wanted. As everything was brought to them, Jiraiya just stared at her for a moment as she swirled the sake in her cup before throwing it into her throat.

"Are you going to talk to me?" He asked her.

"About what?" Chiyo refused to look at him. "What is there to talk about?"

Jiraiya stared at her like she was crazy. "Well, you can start off with What's happened the last eight years?"

"What is there to tell? I did what I was trained to do. I stayed here with my Squad and carried out missions while I wrote. Nothing more, nothing less."

"That's all you did? Did you not have a life?"

"All I needed was what I received from those still with me," Chiyo grunted, flipping the chicken over to grill the other side. "That's all I wanted…" Jiraiya gave a wince, turning his head. He shouldn't have been expecting her to forgive him when he came back but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. "What about you?" He glanced at her. She still stared at the chicken but he could hear the interest in her voice. "What have you done over the years?"

He gave her a smile and then began to pull out his books, giving her things to look out that he had gathered and collected over his journeys. Traveling the world had taught him so much and he really enjoyed telling her about all of it; especially as she grew more interested about his stories; especially when he told her about the toads. He told her that he had been jealous that she and her brother could summon Kurina and Osakai and had tried to do so himself. He ended up, due to not having a contract, being reversed summoned to Mount Myoboku.

"It's interesting," Jiraiya began quietly. The night moved on, leaving only them and a few more at the bar. "The Great Toad Sage made a prophecy about me. Said that I would someday choose whether one of my students saved or destroyed the world."

Chiyo snorted, her sake almost flying out of her nose. "And you believed him? He doesn't know you very well, does he?"

"Hey! It could happen!" Jiraiya cried, pulling a face. "You never know."

"I do know," Chiyo teased. "You forget, I grew up around you. You're still probably that same pervert you were eight years ago."

Jiraiya gave a nervous chuckles as he scratched the back of his head, his cheeks growing a bit red. All night he had been having a problem keeping his eyes on just Chiyo's face. The teenager had turned into…quite a woman.

Chiyo gave a sigh and swirled the sake in her glass one more time. "You know…" She paused.

He dropped his arm. "What is it?"

She was silent for a moment before drinking the last glass and standing to her feet, leaving the money for the service on the table. Jiraiya was about to call after her but she paused and turned back.

"They say wherever someone is still thinking of you, that place is your home." Chiyo smiled at Jiraiya. "I'm glad you decided to return, Jiraiya. You must have heard my thoughts."

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORY LINE AND THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON****'T KNOW FROM THE STORY!**

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**Second Shinobi War**_

**Six months and Jiraiya had yet to leave the village again. **Things had gone back to the ways they used to be but there was something strange about all of them. Maybe it was because they had all grown up over these years but Chiyo couldn't place her finger on it. It was killing her though, enough to drag her from the normal conversations that the group would have over their meals together. IT wasn't everyday but a few times a week. I mean, being close to people that you had known for almost all of your life, it's hard to not meet up with them in the village and think about all your lives together and that was what she had been doing over these last few days Chiyo was lost here in her life, there was no doubt in that and she didn't want any of it to change.

But it seemed that the world had other plans for her. And for her friends. And plans that would change the rest of their lives, no matter what any of them wanted to be done.

This was the beginning of their part in the Second Shinobi World War. The war between Konohagakure, Sunagakura, Amagakure, and Iwagakura had been going on for nearly a year now, it beginning before Jiraiya had returned, and had now escalated into something deadly. They had all been sent out in battle before but their Squad had been called back nearly a week ago and were itching to be sent back out.

Today they were meeting up for a nice lunch at the Ramen shack again, Orochimaru being the only one that had refused to come, and Chiyo was the first to arrive. She had felt something really strange n her house these last few days. She wasn't sure what it was that she was feeling but she knew that it was coming from her house. Was her brother doing something? Was it Hiruko? Or was she just being weird? Maybe she was just letting the war get to her. Sheh ad seen so many people die nearly a week ago. She had killed so many. She had done it before on missions but with something like this…all at once…

"Chiyo," She turned her head to find Jiraiya standing behind her. He worn a frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"The Hokage has called up to his office."

Chiyo pulled a face at that too. She knew what that meant. Back into the field they were going to go.

And they were.

The rest of the two teams were there already. She and Jiraiya were the only ones they were waiting on. The Hokage closed his eyes for a moment and didn't even waste time getting to the point he called them here for.

"I want the six of you to head out to Amagakure again; this time to take care of Hanzo the Salamander."

The Salamander?" Akito raised a brow.

"Why all six of us?" Tsunade asked. "I'm sure only one team would be good enough."

"You just might be, but I am being cautious. It's not just Amagakure that we're fighting. It's Suna and Iwa too." The Hokage sight, closing his arms. "Take it as you want but its better safe than sorry."

Jiraiya gave a small sigh. "All right. Amagakure, right?"

"Yes. Sakumo will be meeting up with you about half-way with more details." The Hokage told them.

"Sakumo?" Chiyo repeated the name, a small smile on her face.

"Oh lord," Akito rolled his eyes.

Jiraya leaned towards him. "Who's Sakumo?"

"Sakumo Hatake," Akito shook his head. "Is Chiyo's little friend with benefits, if you catch my drift." Jiraiya pulled a face. "Yeah, I know, right? They both claim they don't do anything but you can clearly tell they got a thing for eachother and the more time you spend together the clearer it becomes. One of these days I'm gonna walk in on them in the middle of something that-"

"Stop it, would you Akito?" Tsunade hit him. "Sakumo's married, remember. We were at his wedding last years you moron!"

"So? Doesn't mean he and my sister can't have a thing. Look at her; she's totally smitten!"

"Shut it!" Both women growled, hitting him together.

Jiraiya blinked. Chiyo and Tsunade must have bounded well over the years he was gone. It was…scary to see they were so much alike now.

Akito grinned to himself as the Hokage continued to talk. He was doing all that he could to keep Tsunade happy. Her younger brother had died the year before due to the war just to have her boyfriend, Dan Kato, follow after him nearly a month ago. He had been worried about Tsunade going into battle again after that, but she had assured him that she would be fine.

"Go home and gather your things. I want you to leave tonight. The sooner we take care if Hanzo the more we'll finish the journey the closer the war is over to finishing." The Hokage told them.

"All right," Akito turned from the room. "Let's eat before we join in. Get ready guys, things are about to be serious."

"Yeah…" Hiruko's voice was soft. It was clear that he was nervous and Chiyo went to talk to him but the Hokage called to her. She turned and looked back at him as the others all left.

"Is something wrong?" She asked him.

Hokage shook his head. "I want you to lead the Squad against Hanzo. All six of you."

"Really? Me? Why?"

"It is clear that Hanzo likes to read so-"  
"Ah, I got it. Hold him off guard with my novels if he read them, huh? Where's the fun in that, Hiruzen?"

"Chiyo, just-"

"Don't worry, Sarutobi," Chiyo gave a grin as she turned to leave the office. "Everything will be fine."

The Hokage watched as the door shut behind her and hung his head. ~I hope so… I really hope so~

The six of them went their own ways to gather their supplies and get ready before meeting back up at the gate of the village and heading off before dinner. The six of them were in silence for most of the travel, getting themselves ready for what was about to happen, but two days later they ran into what they needed.

"Sakumo!" Chiyo greeted with a smile.

"Here we go," Akito sighed; Tsunade hit him again.

Sakumo Hatake was a kind-faced man with dark eyes and spiky, silver-like hair that hung over his headband and in a ponytail to the middle of his back. He wore a standard Konoha-nin uniform complete with a pair of gloves, flak jacket, bandages on his right arm, and the addition of distinctive short white sleeve which had red edges and the standard crest of Uzushiogakure on it. He also carried a holster worn diagonally over his right shoulder which held his White Light Chakra Sabre. Hailed as a genius, Sakumo was a truly powerful Shinobi, as well as a very kind, humble, and loyal man, meaning-

~How he and my sister became great friends I'll never know.~ Akito grunted to himself.

"Chiyo, Tsunade, men," He nodded at them all with a small smile before turning back to glancing through the trees ahead of them.

"So, what's going on?" Akito asked. "We've been gone about a week for a break and lost track of it all."

"Yes, I heard." He gave a soft blink. "I received my orders from the Hokage and tracked down Hanzo the Salamander for you."

"The Salamander…" Jiraiya repeated, taking a step forward. He didn't like the smile Chiyo was wearing as she stood by the new man. "What can you tell us about him?"

"He's insanely powerful is one thing," Sakumo answered him. "Took down nearly a whole league of Iwa on his own. There's a story about him. A black salamander was deadly venom resided in his village as a child and when it died he venom sac was embedded into his body in the hopes of creating a venomous ninja that was immune to toxins. He has to wear a mask constantly. Whether or not that's true or not he does wear a mask; constantly. He's security-conscious, trusting no one, and seems to be on guard on every minute of every day. He's even cautious around children, too."

"This is gonna be harder than we thought," Tsunade rubbed her chin, a firm look on her face.

"It'll get worse and worse, too. We're not going to be able to surprise him." Akito replied.

"Jumping forward and attacking the entire group will be our best option," Orochimaru closed his eyes.

"Or wait until he falls asleep," Hiruko decided to offer. "He might not do it often but he'll do it eventually." That started a fight between the group, leaving Chiyo in silence as she stood there, thinking over all of it.

"Orochimaru's right," Everyone froze and glanced at the woman in shock; Orochimaru included. Chiyo dropped her hand and placed it on her hip instead. "We're here to take care of Hanzo, hiding and wasting time could make everyone suffer. The closer to the end we get, the faster things will return to normal." She glanced at Sakumo. "How many men does Hanzo have?"

"Nearly 200 with him; the rest of them are further east in a battle with Iwa at the moment."

"Then how many do you have here?" She asked him.

"More than enough," Hatake answered her. "No worries."

Chiyo took a breath. "Get them ready. At sunrise we'll attack."

Sakumo gave a nod and disappeared, leaving the six of them standing there.

"Not too bad, Chiyo," Akito told his sister. "Stepping forward and taking control? You don't do it often."

Chiyo glanced at him. "I was assigned too, so let's leave it at that."  
Akito stared at his sister for a moment before a small smile spread across his face. "It'll start raining soon."

"Good," She nodded. "At least it'll wash the blood from our hands."

Akito placed a hand on her shoulder before stepping away. "What's the plan?"

"Tsunade, I want you to be ready for any type of serious wounds with a few of the other healers. It's just a caution act, but incase Hanzo and his men turn out to be stronger than we already think. I want you and the others to stay to the south, understand?"

"Got it." Tsunade answered her.

"Hiruko, I want you to keep an eye on the healers. Stay close to them and try and keep them as safe as you can. I'll assign another man from Sakumo's Squad to give you a hand."

"Of course," The young man nodded.

"Jiraiya, Akito, I want the two of you to take a set of Sakumo's Squad and attack the Awa's from the East. Be careful, just in case ninja attack from behind."

"No worries," Jiraiya gave her a thumbs-up.

"We got this." Akito nodded at his sister.

"That leaves you and me, Orochimaru," Chiyo glanced at the silent man to he left. Jiraiya held his breath. The pressure between the two of them were still as hard as it had been all those years ago and the thought of the two of them being on their own made him worry. "We'll attack from the North with the remaining men as Sakumo attacks with the rest from the West. If the ninja want to run, let them go. Keep your focus on the ones stuck with battling, do you understand?"

Orochimaru closed his eyes and nodded as the rest of them answered. Chiyo tightened her fist. "Be careful, all of you. If you need help don't be afraid to call. I plan on all six of us returning to the Village, understand?"

Akito gave a large grin. "The same goes for you, Chiyo. If you call, I'll come running."

"Same here," Jiraiya nodded.

"Me too." Hiruko smiled.

"Count on me," Tsunade told her. "If you get wounded then I'll heal you before hitting you myself. Chiyo gave a laugh.

Orochimaru opened his eyes. "I'll keep an eye on you, Chiyo. Just incase."

Chiyo glanced at the pale man before giving a nod. "Same goes for you, snake-boy," She sighed and turned back to the path before them. She could imagine the Awa people just ahead, not even thinking about their group about to be attacked.

"Let's finish the Second Shinobi War."

**Please Review! I like to know what you all think :)**


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